Chapter 34: The Oceanic Escapade
Revy opened the hatch into the Lagoon's command centre and climbed inside, the sound of classical music in the air coming from the radio. It had been a long night and the sun was now high in the sky as they cruised towards Vietnam. When Rock called him after evading a potentially dangerous situation, Dutch did as he was asked and locked up the boathouse before taking the Lagoon further south and picking Rock and Revy up by an old unused dock in the middle of nowhere. They had taken off hastily into open water to get out of sight in case they were pursued but there had been no sign of danger and Dutch had been taking it slow for the last hour or so. Soon, they would be passing Phú Quốc Island and docking thereafter to deposit the cargo.
Revy came up behind Dutch and rested one arm on the back of his chair.
"How far away are we, Dutch?" she asked, lifting her hand to her mouth and yawning as soon as she was finished speaking.
"At this speed, we should be there in half an hour, maybe less. Tomaso called ahead, too. He's going to meet us in Roanapur when we're back to give us our payment."
"Ronny too high and mighty to meet with gutter trash like us himself?" Revy said half-heartedly. "I'm surprised the Italians are meeting us at all, seeing as how they went through Malee for this job."
"They probably just want to make sure everything goes according to plan. They must know about that business with Bren's guys."
"Any idea who hired them?"
"Don't know, don't care," Dutch told her bluntly. "I imagine the list of people who've got it out for Ronny gets longer by the week. This'll be the last time I accept an impromptu job for the Italians, though. If they can't keep it under wraps when they're pulling something off, the reward just ain't worth the risk."
"I don't know, Dutch," Revy began. He could tell where this was going already. "With the shit we found ourselves in, I'm guessing we could squeeze an extra few grand out of them."
"If you want to try, be my guest. But don't hold your breath. Tomaso'll claim hazard pay is included with what we agreed upon and you'll end up pissing each other off to no end. Then you're on the wrong end of the Cosa Nostra's guns and good old Dutch will have to pull your ass out of the frying pan, like always."
"Please. That ain't how it's gonna go down. But, if you feel that strongly about it, I won't say a thing. I'll just keep my mouth shut and take what you agreed on."
"For the sake of my sanity, I'd appreciate it."
"Dutch! Dutch! We've got a bit of a situation."
"What is it, Benny?" asked Lagoon's leader, pressing a finger to his earpiece.
"I don't think we're going to be able to dock at Phumi Mau anymore. I'm getting a lot of troubling readings on the radar. Several large vessels patrolling near the border of Phú Quốc."
"Well, that's just great," Dutch groaned. "Nice of Ronny to fall short on any paperwork. We talking military here, Benny? Or pirates?"
"These ships are too big to be civilians or anything of the like. If I had to guess, I'd say it's the Vietnamese Navy."
"Alright. Keep me posted."
"Well, there goes your plan to slip in and out without being noticed," Revy told him. "What do we do now?"
"How about it, Revy? You're always up for a good fight."
"Hah! There are easier ways to get shot to a thousand pieces, Dutch. Me, I'd prefer to go down like Calamity Jane in the Deadwood Saloon, guns blazing."
"Calamity Jane, huh? Didn't she die of pneumonia?" Revy decided not to argue. Something told her Dutch was right.
With their plans to dock directly at the village of Phumi Mau no longer viable, Dutch changed course and took the Lagoon around the far side of Phú Quốc so he could look for a quiet spot by the trees. They would be forced to make their way into the village on foot to meet with Ronny's contact, but they were left with little choice. Luckily, the naval ships appeared to be staying away from the water between Phú Quốc and mainland Vietnam so the Lagoon could remain out of sight for the time being. Benny's radar was a cut above the rest and could usually alert them to other boats and vessels at large distances, giving them the advantage, but Dutch did not want to risk being picked up by the navy's radar. By keeping the torpedo boat at low power and speed, and providing they found a spot to stop soon, they should be safe to continue. Eventually, it got to a point where Dutch could not risk going any further south without alerting undesirables and he was forced to come to a stop by a small sandy patch at the shore. The landscape here was covered in dense jungle and they could remain hidden for the remainder of the job. Lagoon all exited the boat and met on ground level. Rock looked around quizzically.
"I thought we were meeting the contact in Phumi Mau," he said, confused. Dutch rolled his eyes beneath his sunglasses. He had half a mind to shove Rock's earpiece down his throat, seeing as he clearly wasn't using it.
"Change of plan," he told him. "The water is too hot near the village. Vietnamese Navy, it looks like. Benny and I are going to head to the village and see if we can find this guy. You two mind watching the boat?"
"Sure," Revy said, waving her hand dismissively. She didn't expect they would get into much trouble out here.
Dutch and Benny started walking south along a narrow, overgrown trail that should have led them to Phumi Mau. The village was only a couple of miles away as it was. If not for the fact that the dock was in plain view of the naval ships, they would have stopped there.
"You better hope the cargo will be safe where it is," Benny warned. "I don't think the Cosa Nostra will be too pleased if we get impounded by the navy."
"Don't you worry, Benny-Boy. Anything happens, Revy will let us know with a shot of her Cutlass and we can hoof it back. We'll be out of dodge before they even knew we were here."
"But this guy we're meeting with…Minh, was it? He'll still be expecting the merchandise. And I don't think we'll be in a position to circle back towards Phumi Mau with the navy in the area."
"Easy, Benny," Dutch said calmly, sensing some anxiety in the air. "We've been in stickier situations than this before. What's got you so spooked all of a sudden?"
"Sorry, Dutch," Benny said, embarrassed. "I guess I'm just used to everything going to shit right about now. I'd be lying if I said my nerves hadn't been a little shot these last few years." Dutch turned to look at his companion as they walked.
"Talk to me, Benny. You don't need to walk on eggshells with me."
"It's nothing, Dutch, really. Let's just say I'd be more than happy if this job went off without a hitch. We don't get too many of those, anymore."
"I know. That's the nature of the job, my friend. I suppose it doesn't get any easier." Benny was quiet for a few moments after that.
"You ever remember a time when you weren't used to seeing all the death?" he asked once he felt like talking again. "Used to watching droves of strangers getting gunned down?"
"You're not gonna like the answer," Dutch told him. "Because I'm guessing it's the same as yours."
"Real upbeat, Dutch."
"I said you weren't gonna like it."
"Maybe I'm just getting soft in my age."
"Come back to me when you're a decade older," Dutch joked. "Then talk to me about age."
They remained silent for a while after that, continuing to walk to the village. It would be a while before they were there, yet.
"I get where you're coming from, Benny," Dutch said, breaking the silence. "There's only so much you can take before you reach breaking point. Seems like that's a common sentiment around Roanapur these days."
"Maybe. But I can think of one person who doesn't fit your description."
"Yeah. I bet you can."
"He's getting worse, Dutch. We hardly see him anymore, and when we do, he spends all of his time in his room. Then there's anytime we pull off a job. If he's not needed, he locks himself in the cargo hold or the forward cabin. It's giving me the creeps."
"I'm only one man, Benny, so I can't tell you what's going on in our Rock's head. But he's got issues, that's for damn sure."
"You think we should do something?"
"Like what?" Dutch asked derisively. "I'm not his babysitter. As long as he doesn't put us in danger, I can't see any reason why he shouldn't stay working with us. He's got a big mouth, but he keeps it closed most of the time unless we need it."
"Did we 'need it' with the 216?" Dutch didn't seem so sure when he heard that. He took a few seconds to consider his answer.
"That was scary," he said at last. "No doubt about that. But I'm not sure where we'd be if he wasn't there to help us."
"I guess."
"Hey, don't worry so much. The way I see it, Rock's not our problem unless he gets us in trouble with the wrong people. You've got nothing to worry about."
"You're probably right. And if he does end up bringing a storm down on us, he'll be Revy's problem."
"When that day comes, Benny-Boy, run and don't look back."
(***)
Rock picked up the binoculars he had taken from the Lagoon and looked out to sea, towards the direction they had come from. With how word had gotten out to the Cosa Nostra's enemies about this job, it was a surprise local pirates and bandits hadn't gotten wind of it. In that situation, such people would be quick to commandeer the equipment with the intention of ransoming it back to the Italians. At the moment, though, it seemed they were in the clear.
Rock turned his attention towards the south where the navy were still patrolling. So far, there didn't appear to be any cause for concern, but they would still do well to keep their eyes open in case that changed.
"The navy don't appear to have changed course," Rock said aloud. "I'll take that to mean we haven't been spotted."
"Maybe we should have let the others come with us, after all," Revy joked. She was currently leaning against a tree, cleaning her fingernails with a small pocket knife. "We could have cleaned house out here."
"And gotten us all killed in the process," Rock shot back at her, his eyes still on the naval ships. Revy didn't respond. "I'm sure it won't kill you to keep your Cutlasses in their holsters for one job. It's not like there's ever a shortage of idiots to shoot back home." Revy came to attention and looked into the trees, but Rock did not notice. "Never a dry spell in Roanapur. At least not for long."
"Hey, dipshit!" Revy snapped. "Be quiet for a sec." He lowered the binoculars and turned to look at her.
"What is it?"
"I said be quiet!" As soon as he did as he was told, he could hear the sound that had distracted her. Even from a distance away, it was loud and unpleasant. Like the engine of a car about to break down, only more aggressive. The only thing was, it was getting closer and louder every second. It didn't take long before several men on dirt bikes emerged from the jungle and started making their way towards the half of Lagoon Company that had remained with the boat. Rock knew just from a glance what had enticed these men to attack.
"Pirates!" he warned, deducing that they had followed the Lagoon by land, judging the waters too treacherous with the navy not far away. They must have been told about the job by some of Ronny's enemies to try and hurt his operations in case Bren's people failed.
"Goddammit," Revy groaned, taking her guns in hand and preparing for a firefight. "You assholes have a fucking death wish?! Then come on!"
(***)
"Quý ngài Minh, you say?" the Vietnamese man asked, his arms resting on the counter of the outdoor bar he was running. "Oh, yes, I see him. He have big job today. Important job."
"Do you know where he is?" Dutch asked as patiently as he could manage. He wouldn't be surprised if this village was as rotten to the core as Roanapur. It appeared to operate much the same, and most of the residents didn't even try to hide the criminal dealings they were having in the open.
"He at dock," the man told them.
"The dock?!" Benny asked, alarmed.
"Well, that's just great," said Dutch, rubbing the back of his head. "He's probably been picked up by the navy already. Place has got to be swarming with them by now."
"We can't risk heading there to meet him. If we're spotted, we don't have any kind of paperwork to get us out of trouble. They'll know why we're here." Dutch scratched his chin in thought for a few moments before coming to a decision.
"Benny, the situation has become unstable and we haven't been provided the appropriate tools to deal with such a mess. I suggest we abort the job and head back to Roanapur to renegotiate with our client." Benny had to laugh at Dutch's exaggerated 'concerned employer' persona. He always did have a hidden flair for the dramatics.
"I won't argue with you, Dutch. It's high time we got out of sight, if you ask me." Just after he finished speaking, they heard gunshots in the distance and the two men looked at one another.
"'Off without a hitch', huh?" Dutch asked. Benny put his face in his hand.
"Why'd I open my mouth?"
The two of them started hurrying back towards where the Lagoon was left to make sure everything was alright. They assumed Revy would have everything under control, but that didn't mean they could rest on their laurels and mosey on back at a snail's pace. As they shuffled through the trees, they heard a voice calling after them and they both came to a stop before turning around. A Vietnamese man was yelling as loud as he could and waving his hands in the air.
"Lagoon Company! Lagoon Company!"
"This the dumbass we were supposed to be meeting here?" Dutch asked. Benny just shrugged his shoulders. Finally, the man caught up to them and bent over to catch his breath. He was short and skinny, with a traditional Vietnamese hat on and glasses on his face. He wore a light black shirt, open at the front, along with green shorts and sandals. When he had composed himself, he stood up straight again and tipped his hat clumsily.
"Lagoon Company? I am Minh. I apologise for the confusion. I was told we would be meeting by the dock."
"We were told the same," Dutch said. "But we were forced to stop further north to avoid being seen."
"Did you have any trouble with the navy?" Benny asked him. "The dock should have been overrun."
"Yes, it is being closely watched," Minh admitted. "Many reports of smuggling in the area recently. Phumi Mau sees a lot of traffic, you understand. When I noticed the ships, I managed to turn around and slip away unnoticed. That's when I spotted you both." He looked them both up and down. "You might as well be wrapped in American flags! You stick out like the moon in the night sky!" He smiled at his own joke. The others did not.
"You'd better follow us," Dutch told him. "We have the merchandise, but there have been sounds of gunfire so I can't say what the damage is."
"I see. Please, lead the way!"
The three men legged it back towards the Lagoon as fast as they could to try and avoid any significant damage. The fact that Revy's Cutlasses continued to sound was reassuring, but all gunfire ceased after maybe ten minutes and the rest of the journey back was eerily quiet, the sound of the jungle the only thing that could be heard. Eventually, they all had to slow to a walk and stroll back while they caught their breaths. When they reached their destination, the scene was about what they expected; several bloody bodies dotted the jungle and the dry patch of sand. There were also abandoned dirt bikes, some of which were in pieces, scattered around the area.
"Oh, my," Minh breathed. He sounded surprised, but not disturbed. The three men came to a stop and Dutch looked over at the boat. Rock was sitting in the crow's nest with a binoculars, as cool as a cucumber. It was almost like there hadn't just been a violent shootout. Revy was sitting against a tree with a cigarette in her mouth. She looked none the worse for wear, which was more than they could say about the mystery men. The gunslinger turned her head to face them.
"About time," she said calmly. "What took you so long?"
Dutch helped Revy unload the merchandise from the Lagoon's cargo hold and set it down in the sand, amidst some trees that had grown close together so nothing would be spotted by anyone who might happen by. Although, the bodies were a clear giveaway that something had happened.
"You might want to get this mess cleaned up," Dutch told the Vietnamese man as the rest of Lagoon boarded the boat and prepared to leave. "It's going to be hard to get the goods away from here pretty soon."
"Oh, do not worry," Minh said confidently. "I will have it taken care of. Thank you again, Lagoon."
"Don't mention it," Dutch told him, walking back towards the boat and sticking two fingers into the air. "Peace." It was unclear how Minh planned to transport the equipment away from here, judging by the fact that he had come here on foot and had no one to assist him. The entire job had been sloppy and unprofessional on the part of the Cosa Nostra, but Lagoon Company had done their job and they had earned their payment. It was time to head back and collect.